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CHAPTER 10
MARKETING: PLACE AND PROMOTION
VIDEO TITLE
Night Agency
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Describe how companies use interactive advertising.

Understand how and why a company must coordinate all the elements of
promotion.

Discuss the ethical considerations involved in advertising.
KEY PEOPLE AND COMPANIES
Darren Paul, Managing Partner, Night Agency
OVERVIEW
Advertising in the Internet age requires a new approach. The 30-second TV commercial
no longer reaches the desired audience. Consumers are savvy and can be easily bored by the
standard advertising pitch. In addition, the viewership of broadcast television is declining. Radio
advertising isn’t as effective as in the past. Paid satellite radio siphons off listeners, often the key
18-45 year old customers most coveted by advertisers. To reach these potential customers,
marketers have to think outside the box and embrace new advertising tactics, such as viral
marketing and product placement.
Night Agency is a marketing agency focusing on these cutting-edge strategies. One
approach is creative web video games. As visitors play the online game, the sponsor’s products
are subtly showcased. These games communicate with customers interactively, without spending
a single traditional ad dollar.
This approach does not actively solicit sales. Instead, it builds brand recognition and
fosters a positive reputation for the sponsor. Today’s customers don’t want to be hit over the head
by marketing. Rather, they enjoy discovering the promotion and controlling how/when they
access the message. Thus, online interaction is hard to control. The goal is for visitors to tell
others about the interactive game, which goes back to one of the oldest and most successful
marketing tactics—positive word of mouth.
PREPARING STUDENTS BEFORE THE VIDEO
The text chapter discusses a wide range of promotion tools and media. Review the
standard strategies and summarize why they are less effective today than they have been in the
past. Ask the students what catches their attention. What media do they follow? What would
entice them to visit a sponsor’s website?
As they watch the video, ask students to analyze the ways in which Night Agency
markets the client/product. Why does the interactive advertising work? Also, note that Night
Agency has several target markets: the customer who will watch/play the video, the client
commissioning the campaign, and potential clients who will notice the promotion and consider
hiring Night Agency.
MAJOR ISSUES IN THE CASE

The impact of the Internet on promotion.

Ethical and unethical advertising

Using nontraditional promotional methods

Need to develop a complete integrated marketing plan.

Elements in the marketing mix
ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.
How does promoting a charitable cause like Aid to Darfur differ from promoting a
commercial product, such as BMW motorcycles or Coca-Cola?
2.
Are there products for which the interactive advertising approach would not work? Why
or why not?
3.
What type of person should the agency recruit? What characteristics would be desirable
in a new employee?
SUGGESTED ANSWERS FOR DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.
How does promoting a charitable cause like Aid to Darfur differ from promoting a
commercial product, such as BMW motorcycles or Coca-Cola?
The primary goal of promoting a charitable cause is to build awareness and communicate
information. There are countless good causes out there. The marketer for a charity has to make
his or her organization stand out. Consumer product advertising stresses the value of the product
to the purchaser—status, pleasure, respect, etc. Charity advertising stresses the value of the
product to others. However, whether it is a charitable cause or a consumer product, advertising
should also communicate information, create a positive image, and position products.
2.
Are there products for which the interactive advertising approach would not work? Why
or why not?
The goal of advertising is to reach the desired audience with the right message through
the appropriate medium. Interactive advertising works best for products and services geared to
teenagers and young adults. Promotions for products aimed at older adults and senior citizens
may not be as successful. While Internet use is expanding across all segments of population, there
is still some resistance in the older population. Interactive advertising works for grooming
products, soft drinks, sports gear, software, and so forth. Products for which interactive
advertising may not be effective could include cholesterol and diabetic drugs, health care
insurance, or mortgage brokers.
3.
What type of person should the agency recruit? What characteristics would be desirable
in a new employee?
This type of promotion depends heavily upon creativity and innovation. The agency will
probably screen applicants for creativity, flexibility, technical knowledge, adaptability, and
people skills.